By Ariel Hart (NYT)

Published: October 20, 2004

The State Supreme Court overturned a $1.3 billion judgment for oyster farmers who said a state water diversion project ruined the salinity of the oyster beds they were leasing. The court said nearly 200 of their leases had clauses forbidding them from suing the state. It said holders of the other 12 leases sued too late, because damage claims carried a two-year limit for suits. Ariel Hart (NYT)